Four Hills Tournament 2024/25: Preview, full schedule and how to watch live
Will World Cup leader Pius Paschke continue his strong start to the season, and can reigning Four Hills champion Kobayashi Ryoyu rediscover his form? Find out all you need to know.
Ski Jumping
The 73rd Four Hills Tournament (28 December 2024 - 6 January 2025) in Germany and Austria is almost upon us.
The annual ski jumping event will take place on the German hills of Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, as well as Innsbruck and Bischofshofen (both in Austria).
These four World Cup venues have hosted the tour since the first edition in 1953, with the order unchanged since 1972-73.
The action gets underway in Oberstdorf on 28 December 2024, with eight days of competition - one day of qualification with the final two rounds the next day - taking place within 10 calendar days.
The number of athletes nations are allowed to enter depends on World Cup results and Continental Cup showings from the previous year. Host nations Germany and Austria will each have six jumpers.
Here is everything you need to know about this season’s Four Hills Tournament.
The Four Hills Tournament Trophy
2024/25 Four Hills Tournament – format
The Four Hills Tournament is part of the men's Ski Jumping World Cup season; all results are included in the overall standings according to the criteria (100 World Cup points for the winner of each event).
However, the Four Hills Tournament also stands alone with its ranking determined by the combined results of the four stages.
The actual points scored for distance and style (taking into account wind and in-run points) in each of the four competitions are added together to crown the champion.
It is therefore possible that a participant may not be crowned the winner despite winning three stages if they struggle on the other; this has happened on four previous occasions.
Like all World Cup competitions, 50 qualified jumpers contest the first round. But unlike the rest of the World Cup, the Four Hills competitors are divided into pairs and face off to reach the second and final round - the first qualifier meets the 50th, second against 49th, and so on.
The winners of the 25 duels plus five ‘lucky losers’ - those with the most points in a losing effort - make up the 30 going on to have final jumps.
2024/25 Four Hills Tournament – key names
After his outstanding start to the season, Pius Paschke is the big favourite for this year’s edition.
The experienced 34-year-old has won five of the opening 10 events to take a healthy lead in the World Cup standings, as he seek to become the first German since Sven Hannawald in 2002 to take the title.
After two Four Hills Tournament runner-up finishes, Paschke's countryman Andreas Wellinger is hoping to make it third time lucky. He also has a win to his name this season, taking victory in round four in Ruka, Finland.
For Austria, look no further than the trio that are in contention at the top of the standings. Daniel Tschofenig and Jan Hoerl both won at Engleberg last week to move to two wins apiece this season, and look in great shape ahead of the Four Hills.
Then there is reigning overall World Cup champion Stefan Kraft, who is seeking a second Four Hills title a decade on from his first.
Kobayashi Ryoyu celebrates his third Four Hills Tournament triumph
Kobayashi Ryoyu defends his Four Hills title having claimed it for a third time last year despite not winning one of the four events. Japan's reigning normal hill Olympic champion has failed to make the top 10 so far this season, but will be keen to regain confidence and form in the Alps.
The 28-year-old is one of just three men to win all Four Hills events in one season with Hannawald (2001-02) and Kamil Stoch (2017-18) the others.
Stoch, like Kobayashi a three-time Four Hills Tournament winner, is missing for the first time since 2009-10. The 37-year-old veteran is quoted by FIS as having opted to "focus on training" after a disappointing start to the campaign.
Among the other contenders are Swiss star Gregor Deschwanden, Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal of Norway and Slovenia’s Anze Lanisek.
2024/25 Four Hills Tournament - full schedule (all times local CET, UTC/GMT+1):
Oberstdorf, Germany
28 December 2024, 16:30: Qualification
29 December 2024, 16:30: Competition
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
31 December 2024, 13:30: Qualification
1 January 2025, 14:00: Competition
Innsbruck, Austria
3 January 2025, 13:30: Qualification
4 January 2025, 13:30: Competition
Bischofshofen, Austria
5 January 2025, 16.30: Qualification
6 January 2025, 16:30: Competition
2024/25 Four Hills Tournament – how to watch live
Eurosport hold the rights for the Four Hills Tournament across Europe and Asia, while in the United States it will be shown via Ski and Snowboard Live.
Canadian fans can watch on CBC-SRC with ESPN the broadcaster for Latin America. Check local listings for details elsewhere.